Stacking the Shelves: 1 of 2 (this week!!)

You read that right. I’m going to do this twice this week. I have officially ordered more physical books these past few weeks than I have for months and months and months. I just genuinely prefer electronic books – I don’t tend to re-read books often and only have so much shelf space to store them on. Plus, and perhaps the biggest reason, is that I like to take books with me to work to read on break or at lunch. My Kindle easily fits inside my purse. Most books don’t. That said, there are some times when you can’t go wrong with paper. This post features an unbeatable deal and an in-person book signing. The next book will feature books from two touring authors that I wish I could go see, but constraints of time and money and place won’t allow for it, but I managed to order inscribed copies anyways.

So, without further adieu! This part’s haul:

Apologies for the flash. When I tried to take pictures this morning it happened to be that perfect time when the ambient lighting filtering in was just too damn bright. But from left to right (as you sit): The Young Elites, Grave Mercy, Dark Triumph, Mortal Heart and Murder of Crows.

We’ll start with Murder of Crows my unbeatable deal: $6.95, including shipping for a like-new book (just remainder mark on the bottom of the book, and now a slightly bent jacket from where I was careless. Sigh). I’ve been meaning to read this since I absolutely gushed over Written in Red. If you missed that review, let’s just say that book is ending up in the top half of my top ten for this year. It’s also the book I’m currently reading: it’s going to be my Goodreads #100 and I wanted it to be something I’d enjoy! For the record, I’m enjoying it 😉

The other four books came courtesy of these nice ladies:

Robin LaFevers (left) and Marie Lu (right) at Children’s Book World

I was originally going to crop the picture, but I couldn’t bring myself to. Look at all those books! Books as far as the eye can see! It’s lovely seeing a store with so many. The staff was awesome and rather impressive with their ability to rattle off recommendations – I saw more than one scenario of “I have a 7 year old boy who likes monsters,” then an associate coming back three minutes later with four books and an explanation of why each is suitable. It’s a reminder that what you pay extra in price compared to places like Amazon or BN you more than make-up in expertise and selection – I saw entire series (and not new series either – like the last book printed a year+ ago) sitting on the shelves. Trust me, you will not find that at BN. One of staffers told me that part of the reason they did the event was to get the word out about their existence. Consider this my small part in doing so. It’s really a fantastic shop and I encourage everyone to give them a look. You can find them online here: Children’s Book World

Anyway, on to the books!

His Fair Assassins is easily one of my favorite YA series. It’s historical fantasy, with the emphasis on the historical. LaFevers has done her homework here, so much so she had to pull back several elements that while true to the period, were threatening to overwhelm the book. It’s that blend of the historic and the fantastic that make it such a pleasure to read. It’s also a bit more unique in that while there is a plot that ties them all together loosely, each book follows its own protagonist. Even better, each girl has a truly unique voice. It’s just not something you see often in adult or YA and that it’s so well done is only an added bonus. I also can’t help respect that the author stated she got on this subject because the idea of empowering women in a time period where they really weren’t appealed to – and she did it in such a way that is both entertaining to read and actually believable. I’ve seen more than one author try and go for it and stumble by making their characters way too modern for the world they exist in. It’s a trap that LaFevers deftly avoids. The other two books are signed as well. I already owned Grave Mercy and bought a copy of Dark Triumph. Though I already owned the electronic copy, I couldn’t stand the thought of having the first and last signed, but not the middle. Take that as a sign of how much I enjoy the series ;). This will be my next read once I’m done with Murder of Crows and it comes out on Tuesday.

Confession time: I have not read the Legend series. I’m pretty burned out on dystopia and it just never appealed to me. However, I’ve seen several people flailing over this and the discover that this is a) set in Renaissance Italy and b) has a villain as its protagonist have definitely piqued my interest. I don’t have much to say about this otherwise, except to say that I think the author can relax that she enjoyed writing about a villain – villains are awesome because the best ones are so complex, and it definitely sounds like it makes for a more interesting book than your standard Noble Boy trope that caused her agent to go “Did you really think this was good?” in her 100 page submission to her agent. I look forward to read it, and will try to do so before years end!

So four down, four to go! The next post will come some time this week, once they’re all in 😉